The bible teaches predestination — God carefully planned out everything long ago, before he created the heavens and the earth. But we must live as if He had not, because we don't know the final outcome of predestination as it relates to our lives.

I believe that predestination is simply a fascinating example of God's creativeness, cleverness and brilliant intelligence. At the Great Judgement, when all is revealed about each person's life, it will become clear that God, in his incalculable wisdom, planned every single event down to the smallest fraction of a second — like the weaver of a vast and indescribably beautiful tapestry who carefully chooses each thread — nothing is misplaced and every thread has a purpose. Together they combine to depict the most amazingly detailed, exquisite and powerful image.

But this is all designed as God's personal demonstration to the creatures he has created, both in earth and heaven, of His awesome mental prowess. It will be a tangible illustration of His ability to do billions of things at once, with speed, grace and beauty — presented in a way that our tiny minds can comprehend.

Predestination will only be fully revealed at the Great Judgment. Because of this, we must live as if it does not exist. While it is exciting to know about predestination and even useful in certain ways (see God Chooses Us), we do not know the outcome of predestination in our own lives or anyone else's. Therefore, we must behave as if it does not exist. (See the scriptures below that support this.)

No one should think: "God has it all worked out, I don't need to do anything. Whatever will be will be." This is a lie straight from Hell! Don't believe it. Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him will keep His sayings (teachings). He taught that anyone who accepts Him must become His disciple and learn about Him and learn from Him. We do that by reading the Bible, especially the New Testament where those who were with Jesus recorded what He said and did. Jesus taught that no one can be saved without believing that Jesus is the Messiah, the Saviour sent from God. (See the scriptures below that support this.) Furthermore, everyone listed as a believer in the New Testament did these things; they believed He was the Messiah, they believed He rose from the dead, they accepted Him as their Savior, they became his disciples, they learned about Him, they learned from His words, and they put His teachings into practice.

You have the power to accept Jesus as your Saviour. No one has any reason to suspect that he or she is not one of those whom God has predestined for salvation. Since you have the power to accept Him, predestination is irrelevant. If you fear that you might not be one of those chosen, simply accept Jesus. He said He would never reject those who come to Him. Doing so will prove that you are not predestined to be lost.

And do not confuse inclination with predestination. You might not be inclined to accept Jesus but that does not mean you are predestined to not accept Him. All of us wage a battle of good against evil in our minds. The Holy Spirit convicts us of what is right and true and we feel a strong desire to choose righteousness. But, simultaneously, the devil entices us with the promise of pleasure in sin — he whispers in your ear, "If you accept Jesus, you will have to stop doing those sinful things you love to do. Think of what you'll be giving up." But the devil is such a LIAR! This should be no surprise, HE INVENTED LYING! Most of the pleasure he promises is imaginary. And the pleasure that is real is always vastly outweighed by the pain of the consequences. And after you die, you face eternal consequences! If your sin is an addiction, you might think, "I can't accept Jesus because I know I can't kick this habit." That's another lie from Hell! Jesus healed men who were born blind — who's eye's were completely dysfunctional! Just accept Him. Don't worry about trying to kick your habit. He will set you free from your addiction!

You have the power to accept life! Jesus loves you! He gave His life as a ransom for your sin. He wants to guide you into truth and righteousness. He has good things planned for you. He wants to teach you the right way to live. He wants to restore and rebuild your broken life. I urge you to accept Jesus into your heart right now. Just pray this prayer:

"Jesus, I believe You are the Messiah sent from God. You said You are the Son of God and I believe it. I want You to come into my heart and forgive my sins. I will start learning about You and will start doing the things You said to do. Please accept me as Your disciple."

If you have sincerely prayed that prayer, Jesus has come into your heart. He will accept you as He promised. Furthermore, the angels in heaven are rejoicing because you have accepted Him. You are important to God! Learn What You Need To Do Next.

Scriptures That Support Predestination:
Matthew 22:14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Acts 3:18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer.

The believers, praying to God, said:
Acts 4:27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

Acts 10:41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen — by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

Acts 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Acts 15:13 When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.

Acts 17:27 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Romans 9:10 Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad — in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls — she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13 Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." 14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 16 It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 19 One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" 20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' " 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? 22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath — prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory — 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one," 26 and, "It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.' "

Romans 11:2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah — how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"? 4 And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

1 Corinthians 2:6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment — to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory.

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

1 Peter 1:18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

1 Peter 2:6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," 8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message — which is also what they were destined for.

1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Living As If Predestination Does Not Exist:Although Paul believed in predestination (as stated in Galations 1:13-17 above), he lived as if it did not exist:

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Even Our Good Works Were Predestined:
Acts 13:2 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Acts 22:10 " 'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. " 'Get up.' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.'

Acts 22:14-15 "Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.' "

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.